Council to develop app for services

KILDARE Co Council is to explore the possibility of developing an app to allow residents have more access to their services.

The proposal was made at a full council meeting on Tuesday by Cllr Naoise Ó Cearuil. He suggested that the app could be used as part of the customer service model and allow residents to interact with the council in an easier and more efficient way.

“Daily life has become far more digital,” he said. “We have to remember that a large portion of people in the community are commuters.”

Cllr Darren Scully asked that the cost of such an app be checked out as he believed it could cost between €150,000 and €300,000.

Cllr Thomas Redmond disagreed. He said he had an app delivered for his own company for less than €5,000.

Chief executive of the council Peter Carey said he would discuss the matter with the ICT officer but in general he was supportive of anything that increased online business.

He noted that the council runs 500-600 different services including online tax and fix my street.

“There is a lot there already,” he said. “We will have a discussion and take it from there.”

It was agreed that the IT department would explore mobile app development options as part of the overall website development programme.

“The corporate services department and customer services steering group would also have a role and would be asked for input in relation to the proposal.

“There is however currently no in-house expertise in mobile app development and this would have to be addressed if it is decided to pursue this initiative,” Mr Higgins, head of information systems and procurement in the council.